Winnebago County has eye on tract of wetlands near Shirland

SHIRLAND — A vast wetland owned by former Rep. Dave Winters could be sold to the Winnebago County Forest Preserve District as part of a plan to open it to birders and other nature lovers.

Kevin Haas

SHIRLAND — A vast wetland owned by former Rep. Dave Winters could be sold to the Winnebago County Forest Preserve District as part of a plan to open it to birders and other nature lovers.

Dave and Kathy Winters’ property is a mostly flat mix of prairie grasses, wildflowers and wetland that covers more than 500 acres at the confluence of the Sugar and Pecatonica rivers. It is home to threatened plant species, such as the perennial wildflower kittentails, and about 150 species of birds.

“We feel that, out of all the forest preserves we have, this would be one of the most important, ecologically,” said board President Judy Barnard said.

It could be the second-largest parcel purchased in the district’s history, behind the 784-acre Blackhawk Springs acquisition in 1978. The acquisition is contingent on grants from a private organization and a donation.

Barnard anticipates criticism. The seven-member board heard similar complaints two years ago when it bought three fishing ponds from retired Sheriff Don Gasparini as means to expand fishing at Four Lakes Forest Preserve. Barnard, one of three trustees who voted against the Gasparini deal, said this one is different because tax money won’t be used in the purchase and the land has significant ecological value.

Winters’ land was considered a priority acquisition in the Greenways plan, a regional blueprint for conserving environmentally significant property in Boone and Winnebago counties.

“It wouldn’t matter who owned this. We certainly would want to acquire it because it’s so valuable,” Barnard said.

Most of the land cannot be developed, even if the district doesn’t buy it: 460 acres are secured in the Department of Agriculture’s Wetland Reserve Program.

The federal government gave the Winterses about $937,000 in late 2003 to compensate them for turning farmland into wetland. The couple lived on a farmstead on the property for years, but they decided to put the property up for sale because they are going through a divorce, Winters said.

The majority of the property must remain wetland, but the property can be sold to a private owner. He said he’s had an offer from someone who wants to use it for a private hunt club.

Opening the site
The district wants the land so it can open it to the public for hiking, bird watching and other environmentally friendly uses. The property serves as a major migration stop for several species, including federally endangered whooping cranes, and the district feels it could be a tourist destination for birders.

“Last winter there were shorted owls there and the road was lined with people from all over the state to see them,” said Lee Johnson, who runs the Sand Bluff Bird Observatory at Colored Sands Forest Preserve. “If the Forest Preserve had the property and built observation platforms and so forth, then it would be even more attractive to tourists.”

Johnson, a former forest preserve board commissioner, supports the effort to buy the land.

The property is also a nesting area for sandhill cranes, a tall gray bird that can have a 6-foot wingspan. Johnson said he’s also observed pelicans and bobolinks, and it’s the only place in northern Illinois he’s found a pileated woodpecker, a crow-sized bird with a flaming-red crest. Otters, muskrats and a mink have also been seen there.

The Winterses have mowed several trails along the property that could be maintained for hiking and cross-country skiing. Continued mowing, and prescribed burns to control invasive species, would be handled by forest preserve crews.

“With a property like this, we would be able to build a core of volunteers that would be able to help with the maintenance,” Barnard said.

The Natural Land Institute, a nonprofit nature conservancy group in northern Illinois, has seen how rare birds can be an economic advantage. It saw a rush of tourists when a rare tricolored heron was spotted this summer at Nygren Wetland Preserve near Rockton.

“We had people from all over the Midwest coming out to see it,” Executive Director Kerry Leigh said. “Protecting habitats is also an economic boon to the area.”

Working on a deal
The board has an agreement to buy 508 acres of the 522-acre property for $899,000, using grants and donations from private organizations. The board voted 5-1 in May to OK negotiations of that deal; Commissioner Cheryl Maggio voted against, and Commissioner Randy Olson was absent.

The sale price was determined by an independent appraiser hired by the district, and that appraisal is the maximum the district can offer. Winters said separate appraisers he and Kathy hired valued the land much higher.

It’s unclear when or if the purchase can be finalized, however, because the board’s deal was contingent on a zoning change.

The Winterses wanted to rezone nine acres to maximize its value for a potential sale. They retracted that request Wednesday because it faced opposition from neighbors wary of the environmental impact of septic systems and access for emergency vehicles.

It also conflicted with long-range land-use plans. Agricultural zoning allows the Winterses to build two residences, one each on two 40-acre parcels. They needed the zoning change to maintain the ability for a separate buyer to build two houses on nine acres while selling the remaining portion to the forest preserve.

“Comments have been made that a number of County Board members would look at it as favoritism to me, so they were not comfortable with rezoning,” said Winters, a legislator for 18 years.

The district is still interested in securing the land, Barnard said. And the Winterses are still open to selling the land to the district under a new agreement.

Kevin Haas: 815-987-1410; khaas@rrstar.com; @KevinMHaas

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